The present invention relates generally to disc drives. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable disc drive testing apparatus.
One common way of testing a disc drive is to connect the disc drive to a personal computer and run a commercial software program to identify faults in the disc drive. Alternatively, special test equipment is available from the market for conducting a wide range of tests on disc drives.
It is felt that the personal computer is under-utilized when dedicated to running tests on disc drives suspected of being faulty. On the other hand, the special test equipment currently available from the market is expensive. It is therefore desirable to seek a relatively cheaper means of testing disc drives.
Furthermore, it is also desirable that the equipment should allow for the detection of fault related to the drive interface. Unfortunately, this aspect of testing is often not possible when the disc drive is required to operate via a serial port under test conditions, instead of through the drive interface.
In addition, it is felt that there is a need for test equipment to be portable, as the test equipment available is too bulky. Very often, the efficiency of the testing process can be significantly improved if the test equipment is small and light enough for the operator to carry it around. Preferably, the test equipment should be easy to operate and not require much training of the operator.
The present invention provides a solution to the above problems, and offers other advantages over the prior art.
The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for testing disc drives.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus includes a microprocessor capable of storing at least one test program. Data transfer between the microprocessor and the disc drive under test is provided for in the form of an interface, such that the interface is compatible for connection to the disc drive under test.
In one aspect of the invention, the interface is compatible for connection to the drive interface of the disc drive under test. This feature offers advantages in that it allows for the detection of faults related to the drive interface.
In another aspect of the invention, the apparatus includes a power control mechanism which controls the power supply to the apparatus. In one embodiment, the power control mechanism may be so constructed as to relay the power supply to disc drive such that the disc drive is powered by the same power supply to the apparatus. To the operator, the testing procedure is made more convenient as only one power supply is required. More importantly, this feature provides the apparatus with the capability of performing contact-start-stop tests, as well as other tests, without the need for the operator to be well-versed in programming, unlike the test equipment available in the market.